Story of the Year
by chunkeymonkey
Summary: A short ChloisChloe is Lois fic. How does Chloe come to be known as Lois Lane? One possible idea wplot idea by wrighty. Chloe, Lois, Clark, Jimmy and KAHHHHN all make appearances.
1. Chapter 1

Lois' eyes darted back and forth between the spinning globe on the computer screen in front of her and the doorway. The Daily Planet's basement was quiet and still in late evening hours and the light from the lone monitor cast dark shadows underneath her eyes as she leaned forward. Her fingers flew over the keyboard furiously as she reached for the mouse, the clatter of keys eliciting a mildly interested response from the janitor who was emptying wastebaskets a few cubicles over. "Minesweeper! What a game!" She quipped with a tight smile as she felt his stare. Finding what she had been searching for she swooped the cursor over and hit _copy file._ As she waited, her fingers drumming impatiently on the desk as she watched the hourglass blink, she caught sight of an edition of The Daily Planet, its crumpled edges sticking out from underneath a large red folder. Her hands gripped it stiffly as she pulled it out and read the big, bold headline to herself through gritted teeth.

"_The Green Arrow Speaks—A Daily Planet Exclusive, by Chloe Sullivan."_

Staring back up at her was an artist's rendering, a charcoal drawing of a chiseled jaw obscured by a think hood. Suddenly a small, round disc popped out from the drive below and Lois slipped it into her purse, throwing the paper swiftly into the trash beside her just seconds before Chloe rounded the corner, a large box in hand. "Hey Chlo." She chirped quickly as she cleared the screen and pushed off with her heel, sending her chair rolling back from the desk. "What's all that stuff?"

"Old editions of The Planet." Chloe replied as she dropped the ancient, crumbling box on the desk, a thick plume of musty smelling dust rising from it. "Can you _believe_ they were going to throw all this stuff away?" She said as she gingerly picked up a frail, yellowed leaf of paper. "I know it's the _age of the internet_ and everything, and that all this is archived digitally but, it's just so cool to actually hold a piece of The Planet's history in my hand ya know?"

Lois looked back at her absently, scrunching her nose from the stale smell.

"I was thinking I may get some of the really good ones framed or something."

"Uh huh, are we ready to go yet?" Lois said, cutting her off in a slightly clipped manner. "I mean I've had a long day too ya know, working at The Inquisitor, even though I know you don't consider what I do there as _work."_

"Lois, what are you talking about?"

"And even though I'm not all gung ho about journalism as you are," Lois continued, Chloe's protests ignored. "I'm just as much as of a journalist as you are, and I work hard all day, and I'm _tired_. And when you invite me to dinner and keep me waiting for over an hour..."

Chloe's amused smiled faded into a frown as she dropped the paper from her hand. "Lois I'm sorry I kept you waiting, but where is all this other stuff coming from? I _never_ said you weren't a real journalist?"

"I know, just, forget it. I guess lack of nourishment brings up all my deep seated insecurities or something. Trust me it has nothing to do with you." Lois replied hastily, attempting a reassuring grin.

Chloe shot her an odd look and gathered up her things. "Okay, well let me just log out of here and we can get going." Chloe brushed past her and flipped off the computer. "I promised my cousin the best sushi in all of Metropolis and I'm not about to break it."


	2. Chapter 2

Chloe's eyes fixed unblinkingly at the headline splashed across the paper in front of her; all the sounds of the busy morning newsroom faded away as she struggled to focus, her fingertips trembling with disbelief. "Okay Jimmy, the past week has been crazy, with a double course load at Met U and The Planet, so it's very possible I am imagining this."

Jimmy popped off the edge of the desk and scurried over to the row of file cabinets where Chloe was standing. He took the freshly printed copy of The Inquisitor and shook his head. "No, Chloe. This is real alright. I mean _everyone_ is talking about it. Its even on CNN!" He said with excitement. "There calling it the story of the year! Real Pulitzer material!"

Chloe looked over her shoulder and noticed her fellow co workers clutching their own copies and conversing animatedly.

"_Have you read this? This is some heavy stuff."_

"_Yeah, who hasn't? It's quite shocking."_

"_What's shocking is that we're all reading the Inquisitor. Oh, and that the story's **not** about a four- hundred pound alien baby! I think Kahn's head just might explode with this!"_

A chorus of laughter echoed around her and Chloe shook her head, a terrible feeling rising from deep within her gut. "No, tell me this is some sort of a _mistake_!"

"Wait, why would you want it to be? I thought you despised the Luthor's as much as anyone?"

"_LuthorCorp Exposed: Level 33.1" _Chloe read out loud, her voice rising with anger. "_By Lois Lane."_

"Isn't that your cousin?" Jimmy asked, a look of amusement in his eyes. "Boy, oh boy is _she_ gonna be famous. I bet there are a zillion people who want to talk to her right now."

Chloe did not answer; instead she felt a million miles away as she saw her stolen words, her own blood, sweat and tears printed across the front page of The Inquisitor with full credit to her cousin, Lois.

"There saying the stuff in this expose could put Lex behind bars for _years. _I mean, if he even gets convicted. We all know how money greases the wheels of justice in your favor, right Chloe? Chloe?"

Chloe's head snapped up and threw the paper over to her desk, barely missing a nearby woman, and pulled Jimmy by the sleeve over towards her. "Jimmy," She whispered feverishly. "This is my story, I wrote this! Every single word of this! I've been working on it for years."

Jimmy's eyebrow raised and he shot her a wary look. "Listen Chloe, I know you are competitive and all, but..."

"No Jimmy, I'm serious. Look." Chloe spun on her heel and sat down in front of her computer, Jimmy lingering over her shoulder. With a few quick clicks a file folder popped up on the screen followed by a word document. After a minute of reading through it Jimmy's eyes grew wide and he stepped back in surprise.

"You're not joking! But, I don't get it though?" Jimmy stammered. "What in the world would make your cousin steal a story from you anyways? I thought you two were like, best pals?"

Chloe stared at the screen, her body now fully numb. Thoughts swirled wildly in her head. "_Why would Lois do this to me? Is this about proving to me that she's a real journalist? Or could it be?" _Suddenly it was crystal clear; she knew there could be no other reason. "Jimmy, I think I know why, and I'm definitely going to get some answers."


	3. Chapter 3

The crowd of people on the street outside The Planet seemed bigger than ever and Chloe felt a strong urge to slug whoever stepped in her way. The strong spring breeze whipped against her and she wrapped her arms snugly around her trench coat. Glancing across the street towards the coffee shop, her destination, she heard a _thwap_ and felt something wrap itself around her ankle. Looking down she shook free a puddle soaked copy of The Inquisitor, the same glaring headline now blurry and streaking across the page. "Well I guess this is someone's way of telling me that coffee can wait." She grumbled as she looked towards the heavens and turned in the opposite direction, towards the offices of The Inquisitor that lie a few blocks north. As she trudged up the street, her head down against the wind, she caught glimpses of passerby's with the rival paper in hand, engrossed in the rippling pages, and heard snippets of conversations regarding the exact subject. All of this fueled her displeasure, egging her on to walk faster until she was panting, standing breathless outside the revolving doors of The Inquisitor building.

_"What are you going to do Chloe?"_ She chided herself as she glared at the buildings white, stony façade. _"Are you just going to barge in there and scream at Lois and make a scene?"_ She felt a wave of pure anxiety come over her and continued walking up the street. Spying a hotdog vendor's cart on the corner she made a dash towards it. Stress was dictating that the only way she could decide how to handle this delicate situation was over the biggest, greasiest kosher hotdog she could eat. As she slipped the man her money, she heard a familiar voice ring out from behind her.

"Chloe? What are you doing uptown?"

Chloe spun around as the hotdog met her mouth and began to cough violently. Lois reached over and slapped her hard on the back. "Woah, you okay there?" Chloe swallowed hard and threw the remaining bits into the trash. "Good idea there, I wouldn't advise eating from these street vendors. You _never_ know, ya know? So what's going on?" The vendor shot them both an angered look and Chloe, without a word, charged forward leaving Lois in her wake.

"Chloe?" Lois called, trailing behind her. "What the hell is going on? Did you come up here to see me or something? What's wrong?"

Chloe stopped and spun around to face her. "I did come here to see you, but if this is how you're going to play it, I'd rather not stick around. I mean, is this what you're going to do? Feign complete and utter ignorance of the situation? Of what you did?"

"What I _did_? What did I do?"

"I'll tell you what you did. You broke into my files and stole everything and printed it under _your name_!"

A look of recognition swept across Lois face and her gaze grew cold. "Oh, you mean _that_."

"That? Yes, _that_ Lois. And by _that_, I mean the story of _my_ life. The story that I worked on for years. The one I put my life and reputation on the line for by writing! That was my story Lois and you know it. How could you do this to me?"

Lois crossed her arms in an attempt at defiance, but her eyes looked away and the corners of her mouth looked strained. "Well an eye for an eye is what some people say."

"What?"

"You stole a story of mine, so I stole a story of yours. Now we're even."

Chloe felt her cheeks burn and felt her anger boiling inside her. "That's exactly what I thought but hoped wasn't true. This is about The Green Arrow isn't it?"

"_Bandit_—Green Arrow Bandit. The name _I_ named him. He was _my_ story of a lifetime Chloe and you took that away from me!"

Chloe edged forward, her eyes blazing. "Lois, when The Green Arrow came to me, wanting to grant me The Daily Planet exclusive I asked you if it would be alright and you said you were fine with it. Then I asked you _again_ and made it clear that if you didn't want me to write it that I wouldn't. But you said all that mattered was that the truth was out there, but all the time you weren't even telling _me_ the truth. I guess I know the reason for your snippy behavior the past few days."

"Would it have even mattered Chloe?" Lois retorted bitterly. "I know how passionate you get about a good story."

"Lois I would never let a _story _jeopardize our relationship. I'm surprised you think so little of me." The hurt was evident in Chloe's words and Lois flinched as she heard them.

"Let's face it Chloe, you're the better journalist, you've always been. And I know all this time you've been laughing at me, behind my back, that I am working for a tabloid. I know you think the work I do is crap."

"You're putting words into my mouth again."

"And for once I wanted to have a story that meant something. Something that people would read and respect."

"Even if that meant stealing one?"

Lois shrugged her shoulders casually. "Well, if it was such an important story to you then why didn't you go to Kahn with it? Why did you just let it sit in your computer gathering dust?"

"I sat on it because I wanted the story of my life to be perfect. But that's not even the point, and if you can't even see that what you did was wrong, unethical and inexcusable than I don't know what else I have to say to you." Chloe stalked off; she felt Lois' presence behind her and she paused to face her once more. "You know what Lois, since you want to be a journalist—a _real_ one—then here's your next big headline. _Lois Lane__ steals beloved cousin's story. They never speak again." _Lois' mouth hung open in an uncharacteristic silence, unable to make any reply and Chloe turned around. "I won't take up any more of your precious time, you're _famous_ now, there must be millions of people anxious to talk to you. Find out how you gathered all that incriminating evidence against Lex? Good luck with that!" She yelled over her shoulder and disappeared into the crowd.


	4. Chapter 4

Chloe crossed and uncrossed her legs, her hands adjusting the hem of her skirt. She stared at the numerous collection of plaques clustered on the wall across from her, their bronze and golden surfaces glinting in the sunlight coming in from the adjacent window. Clippings of prestigious Planet articles, framed and displayed haphazardly caught her attention and she felt her already miserable mood sink even further. _"I could have had my article up on that wall—**could have**. Story of my life I guess."_

Suddenly there was a whoosh of air that sent papers on the desk in front of her scattering and she shifted in her seat to see Pauline Kahn enter through the door in a flourish. Clutching a stack of file folders which she promptly tossed into a heap in the corner, and sucking on a withered cigarette stub, she plopped down in a big, high-backed chair. "Mrs. Kahn I'm glad you decided to see me. I have something very important I need to speak with you about." She had requested to see Kahn to discuss the situation before it got even more out of hand, even though she had misgivings about exposing her cousin as a fraud no matter how angry she was.

"As of ten-thirty this morning The Daily Planet has put out a press release," Kahn began, ignoring her words and squashing the smoldering cigarette in an ash filled silver tray. Her face was pale and she had a frazzled look about her. "As well as scheduled a press conference for this evening to announce that we have offered the Inquisitor reporter—Lois Lane—a permanent position here with us and that she has accepted."

Chloe felt her arms drop limply to her sides and gripped the seat cushion tightly with her nails to keep herself upright. She felt as if her life, her dreams, were spiraling out of control and unwittingly being taken away from her in one foul swoop. "Oh, well that's—great?" She mumbled, mustering a smile on her shell shocked face. "She's really written the article of the moment hasn't she? Smart move, snapping her up like that." The words flew automatically from her mouth without emotion or thought, and now she questioned if she had the strength to tell Kahn she had just made a huge mistake, something no one ever dared to do. "But what has this have to do with me?"

The wrinkles around the corners of Kahn's eyes crinkled even deeper as her lips pursed into a knowing smirk. "Oh come off it Sullivan. We all know the real deal here, so pry your lips off my ass won't ya?"

"Um, excuse me?"

"The story about Luthor Corp was yours."

"Wait. How did you?"

"Don't underestimate me Sullivan, I have my sources. I know that story was yours."

A renewed feeling of hope surged in Chloe's chest. "So the press release then, it says how the story was mine? That's wonderful! I can go down right now and gather up all my files and..." She smiled as she realized that Lois had decided to preserve their relationship and do the right thing, something she hoped she would do all along, although she was still perplexed as to why Kahn would still offer her a position. "But I wouldn't want to tarnish my cousins name publicly though, so maybe we could peg this as some sort of mistake?"

"Woah, hold on a minute." Kahn said, holding her palms up to face her in a stop motion. "I've been running this paper now for twenty years, and we don't make _mistakes_ like this. In all my twenty years we have never been scooped out of a story by a rag like _The Inquisitor._" Her nose scrunched in disgust as she said the words, as if she had taken a whiff of an unpleasant odor. "It's bad enough they scooped us in the first place, but to come out and say that we were scooped out of a story of this magnitude because an _intern_ had her story _stolen_ from her in the first place sounds even worse. It's just a scandal I don't want to deal with right now."

Chloe fell back into her chair. "I don't understand?" Once again all the air seemed to be sucked from the room. "So the truth won't come out then? And even thought it's _my_ story, you are offering a job to Lois simply to _save face_?"

A strange, almost playful look glimmered in Kahn's eyes and she reached into her shirt pocket, pulling out a cigarette and placing it to her lips. "You don't mind if I?" Chloe shook her head and stared back at her in confusion as she lit the end and took a long, slow drag. "Sullivan this is where it gets _good_." She blew out a thick trail of smoke that made Chloe's eyes water. "_You_ are Lois Lane. Or I should say, are _now_ Lois Lane." She took another drag and gave her a knowing wink.

"What?"

" Lois Lane, I like it." Kahn continued, swiveling her chair around to scribble something in a leather organizer. "It pops, it snaps. It's poppy. Lois—Lane. Lane—Lois."

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?" Chloe snapped, unable to contain her frustration. Kahn's amused smirk faded and her head snapped to attention. "I mean, what ever do you mean?"

"You—that is if you still value your job at The Daily Planet—will, from this point on, be known as Lois Lane. Call it a pen name, a pseudonym, whatever floats your boat. Anyone asks and that's your name, got it?"

"But what about all the people here who know I work here and know me as Chloe Sullivan?"

Kahn let out a loud snort and stood up abruptly. "Trust me, this is an extremely large organization Sullivan. And while you've done some _excellent_ work in the obituaries and wedding departments, and did have small byline or two, trust me when I say no more than a handful of people here know you exist, let alone your name. Or even care." Kahn brushed past her as she headed for the door and Chloe felt her skin prickle. She didn't ask to use a pen name; she wanted to be a respected reporter known as _Chloe Sullivan_, and even though things were being made right in a way it still stung to have that opportunity taken away from her.

"What if I can't agree to this?"

"Sullivan I know your type. I _am _your type. We live and breathe journalism. That story was _everything_ to you. It's not a perfect solution but it's the only one I'm offering." Kahn shot her a look as her hand lingered on the doorknob. "It's your decision, but I'll have my assistant come and get you when it's time for the press conference—tentatively set for five thirty--whatever you decide. Till then this conversation remains strictly between me and you."

Chloe knew the words she said were true and nodded solemnly; no matter what she knew she could never give up The Planet, nor would she let her pride keep her from achieving a dream that was so close. Kahn proceeded to leave when Chloe stood up and stopped her. "Mrs. Kahn, there's something I need to know. How did you find out that the story was mine in the first place? And how in the world did The Inquisitor agree to this? Not to mention Lois..."

This time a genuine smile of glee spread across her face and she peered over the rims of her bi-focals at Chloe. "Well as far as The Inquisitor goes, let's just say that some _indiscretions_ of The Editor in Chief caught on film helped pave the way."

Chloe felt her eyebrows shoot upwards.

'And as for the rest, I suggest you speak with your cousin."


	5. Chapter 5

The strings wrapped around her fingers surrounded the shiny red yo-yo that swung steadily back and forth. Cats cradle was a game her father had taught her when she was little and the tedious movement, almost hypnotizing, was Chloe's secret way of calming herself during stressful times. It was times like these that made her ignore the curious stares of her colleagues as they passed by, obviously not used to seeing her slacking off, and absorb herself in the simplicity of a children's toy that quelled the raging butterflies in her stomach. _"Aah, how wonderful it must be to not __have _a care in the world." Chloe sighed as her eyes lifted and spied Jimmy Olsen giving her a thumbs up from across the busy newsroom. He smiled and pointed over her head towards a large TV mounted on the wall. Chloe turned her head to see the Metropolis local news broadcast with the words _Lois Lane__ press conference set for __5:30 pm_in the crawl at the bottom of the screen. Although Kahn had specifically stated that everything was to be kept between the two of them she couldn't help but tell someone,_ anyone_ for support, and since Clark was out of town she entrusted the information with Jimmy.

_"Wait. So Kahn wants you to go by the name __Lois Lane__?"_

_"Yes. Long story short, she wants to avoid a scandal or The Daily Planet looking bad in any way."_

_"So how does your cousin figure into all of this? Have you talked to her since Kahn dropped the bomb?"_

_"Frankly, I have no idea what Lois' part is in all of this. And no, I haven't been able to get a hold of her. As much as I want answers, I'm not too keen on speaking with her right now."_

_"So what about everyone who knows you here as Chloe Sullivan? Can I still call you Chloe?"_

_"Well, as Kahn astutely pointed out, no one who works here besides you and Clark—and actually he doesn't even **work** here—really knows who I am or cares for that matter. And yes Jimmy, you can still call me Chloe if you want."_

Chloe felt a hand on her shoulder and felt herself jump a little; turning away from the TV, where a woman was now discussing _If Lex Luthor has already being tried in a court of public opinion,_ she saw Jimmy smiling above her.

"So, while I was waiting for my pictures I took yesterday—and they're really cool, you should really see them—to scan into the system, I discovered that you can spell the name Lois Lane out of the letters in your name. Isn't that wild?"

Chloe managed a smile. "Yeah, that's _wild_. But ya might want to _keep your voice down._" She said, nodding her head towards the group standing next to her desk who were engrossed in the news coverage.

'Oh, sorry." Jimmy's cheeks began to burn pink making his freckles pop and he leaned in closer to her. "So, an hour till the press conference. Are you nervous? Excited?"

Chloe stared back into his gleaming eyes, her mouth open and struggling to find the words to express what she was feeling.

"Ya know, you're whole life is going to change in an hour! You're about to be announced as that famous reporter whom the whole _country_ is talking about! You're about to achieve your dream Chloe—er, Lois." He whispered, giving her a wink.

Chloe gulped hard and felt her throat run dry; for all her life she had wanted to be where she was right now, about to reach out and snatch the brass ring, but she was terrified.. Countless times she had imagined the moment when the work of her life, her LuthorCorp expose, would see the light of day and she never once imagined it would happen in this way. Nor that it would be this stressful. She knew that if she went through with the press conference that, as Jimmy pointed out, everything from that point on would be different—even her name in a way would be different. "Ya know Jimmy, "She said suddenly, watching all the commotion in the room around her. "When I first interned here at The Planet I almost used the name Lois Lane for a story I was writing—"Jimmy shot her a look and Chloe waved it off. "Stuff with the Luthors—long story short, the story never ran. I don't know why I even chose her name to begin with. Out of all the names in the world..."

"I guess anagrams don't lie. Fate wants you to be Lois Lane."

She let out a slightly bitter laugh and Jimmy patted her sympathetically on the shoulder. "It must feel strange and all, but it's only a name, ya know? Besides, don't people use those pseudo things all the time anyways?"

Chloe glanced all around the room again; her co-workers were all immersed in their work while catching sneaky peaks at the TV or copies of The Inquisitor. She knew Jimmy had a point; professionals did use pseudonyms all the time, even famous actors had stage names, so she shouldn't feel above it all. _"Yeah, but it's usually their choice."_ She thought to herself with a newfound amusement of the situation. Maybe fate did have some sort of twisted plan for her, after all she did herself _choose_ to use the name Lois Lane a few years ago, so why should it matter so much now? Besides, whatever fate's plan for her was, as long as it was to be a top reporter at The Daily Planet she could handle it. Even if she had to do it as Lois Lane. "You're right Jimmy. Besides, as long as the truth is out there, what does it matter if I write under the name _Big Bertha_ as long as I get to be a journalist?"

"Now that's the spirit!" Jimmy smiled and reached for the strings dangling from her fingers. "Is that an AirFlyer 2000? Can I borrow that?"

Chloe let out a laugh, detangled it from her hands and placed it in his. "Knock yourself out." Jimmy shoved it in his pocket and turned to leave; as he departed she spied her cousin headed straight towards her.

"Chloe, I think we need to talk."


	6. Chapter 6

"Chloe, we need to talk."

As Lois approached her desk Chloe stood up. Not wanting to get into another possible argument for everyone to hear Chloe led the way to a small, separate enclosed space off the main new floor. "We'll be able to talk in private." Chloe called over her shoulder. As the door to the copy room closed behind them all the noise of the day was swallowed up by an awkward silence as the two stood staring at each other from across the room. Lois bit her bottom lip, her face contorting into several odd expressions as she formulated what to say. "Well, go on. You're the one who said you wanted to talk...so talk." Chloe prompted after a minute or two of watching her strained attempts to speak.

Suddenly all the color drained from Lois' face as she steadied herself against the wall, looking as if she was a prisoner staring down her execution squad. "This was so much easier in my head on the way over here." She mumbled, wringing her hands nervously. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about what you said to me outside The Inquisitor, about never speaking to me again." Her chin trembled a bit and she paused to collect herself. "Chloe, I'm so sorry."

"Lois, you betrayed me." Chloe declared, trying her best to assume a cool demeanor and not let her emotions get a hold of her. "I trusted you and you hurt me in the worst way possible. I know it's not healthy to hold grudges, and I don't _like _the idea of never speaking again, but right now I don't know how to forgive you."

Lois looked shamed at Chloe's words and dipped her head slightly. "I'm not like you Chloe, I've never been." She said abruptly, turning to look out the window into the busy newsroom. "I don't have any deep, burning passion for _anything_. I've spent my life flitting from job to job seeing what sticks. Maybe it's my way of trying to find my calling." Lois shrugged her shoulders and turned back to face her. "Then, like pretty much everything I do, I fell into journalism on a whim. Or rather, journalism fell into _me._" A wistful smile played across her lips as she brought her hands up in the air and brought them crashing back down in one swift motion._ "_And maybe I was just bored, but when that barn door came flying out of the clear, blue sky I thought _what would Chloe do_? So I looked into it."

"You thought I would investigate something like that?"

"Yeah." Lois nodded her head earnestly. "It's not as weird as some of the stuff that goes on in Smallville, but I at least thought that you would be impressed that I took the initiative—you always tried to get me interested in journalism."

"Ok Lois, I understand wanting answers, but what does this have to do with anything? How do we get from falling barn doors to stealing my story?"

"I'm getting there, trust me." She replied quickly. "Well, I never intended on writing an article or anything, and when I _did _and The Inquisitor actually printed it _and _offered me a job I thought wow! Why did I push this away for so long? Maybe this _is _my calling? It's the first job I've earned on my own and not just because the boss is a friend of a friend, know what I mean?"

Chloe managed to keep her expression neutral and nodded her head, feeling a smirk burning to break free.

"I mean The Inquisitor—a _real _paper—liked my work! And I found myself actually liking journalism. Well not all the boring research and stuff." She added hastily; Chloe opened her mouth to reply but was cut off. "It made me feel like I was important, like I had something to say. Plus, seeing my name in print was this huge rush—not like when I did those articles for the Torch. This was the big time! And I think I finally understood why you loved it so much."

"Lois," Chloe began, walking towards her to close the unfriendly distance between them. "That's not why I love journalism. It's not about fame or power; it's about helping people and exposing the truth."

"_Right_." Lois nodded her head in embarrassment. "And when the Green Arrow Ban—er, the Green _Arrow _came along I thought this was my big story; my chance to not only make a name for myself but..."

"But what?"

Once more Lois' gaze shifted away and her body language morphed into that of an unsure child. "Impress you."

"Impress me?"

"Yeah. You're the journalism whiz and I work at a trashy tabloid. I thought that if this was truly my calling then a big story, one with actual facts and stuff, would make you think I was a real reporter no matter where I worked. Not that I was just handling Elvis sightings or whatnot." Suddenly her head snapped up and she waved her hands erratically as she blurted out a barrage of words. "Not that I'm blaming you. You were _always _supportive. I was just insecure. The blame rests strictly with me and..."

"Lois, calm down." Chloe said, reaching out to grab her arm. "Take a breath. Take _several_."

"Sorry, I just didn't want to mess up my apology about messing up." She smiled half heartedly and ruffled the collar of her shirt. "Is it hot in here? I swear it's like a million degrees in here."

Suddenly a man tapped on the door window and opened it slowly, poking her head inside. "You guys almost done? Or should I come back later?"

Chloe nodded, stepping towards the door. "Oh, we're done. Come on Lois." She said, grabbing her sleeve and pulling her along. "We can talk at my desk as long as you keep it down."

"Okay, so where was I?" Lois addressed Chloe's back as she followed her out of the room.

"The Green Arrow." Chloe whispered.

"Right." Lois dodged a woman headed straight for her, jumped out of the way of a man wheeling a file cabinet on a dolly and spun around to find herself in front of Chloe's desk. "Did you see that? I almost got run over!"

Chloe pulled up her chair and sat down. "Uh huh. So, we were talking about the Green Arrow?" She said with an amused smile.

"Oh, right." Lois ran her fingers through her hair, her expression frazzled. "So when I wrote the story and people were calling him what _I_ named him—or rather what I named him minus the insistence that I drop the _bandit_ by my editor—I was so excited. It made me legit, a real reporter. But then when you told me the Green Arrow came to _you_, wanting _you _to write the exclusive with him I felt like my story was being yanked away from me. Like, maybe I wasn't good enough to handle it after all."

"Well maybe if you wouldn't have attacked him, calling him a kidnapping thief regardless of the facts, he would have wanted to give you the exclusive." Chloe retorted, throwing her hands up in the air. "Besides, I asked you several times if you wanted me to back away from the story and you said it you were fine with it!"

"I know, but my pride wouldn't let me admit that it bothered me." Lois grimaced and picked up a bronze paper weight in the shape of the Daily Planet globe off the desk, playing with it in her hands. "I didn't want to act like a child who couldn't share her toy."

"Not a perfect analogy, but in the end that's exactly how you behaved."

"It was selfish."

"I would call it passive-aggressive."

"Yeah." Lois nodded enthusiastically, propping herself up on the edge of the desk. "I knew what I was doing—cribbing your story—was wrong, but I kept telling myself that somehow it was payback for you not realizing how much the Green Arrow exclusive really bothered me."

"Kind of like how women tell men _I shouldn't have to tell you, you should just **know**_?"

"Yeah, it's messed up I know. Maybe I need Dr. Phil or something?" Lois said in a self-deprecating manner, attempting to cut the rising tension. "And it's not like I ever took Journalistic Ethics 101." She joked, the look on her face displaying instant regret for uttering it.

"Or, _how not to screw over your cousin 101_?"

Lois' mouth twisted up and she blew out a long burst of air as she placed the globe back down. "Woo—this isn't going too well is it? Look, I did what I did because I was stupid and jealous and scared; scared that you were stealing my thunder over the Green Arrow, and was too much of a baby to tell you. There. That's it in a nutshell. It's not eloquent—it's not even particularly interesting really—but that's why. And I'm so sorry."

Chloe leaned back in her chair, looking up at Lois pensively for a few moments. "You could have saved yourself a lot of breath and said all of that ten minutes ago." Suddenly she lurched forward and stood up.

"Chloe?" Lois called as she followed Chloe away from her desk, down through the busy aisle and out into the hallway. "Where are you going?"

"Coffee. I need coffee." Chloe muttered over her shoulder and ducked into a small, brightly painted break room off the main corridor. Making her way to a table filled with boxes of donuts, baked goods and a large coffee maker, she grabbed a Styrofoam cup and began to pour the hot liquid into it slowly. "I hate the stuff they brew here, but I don't care. This is going to be the only thing keeping my brain from exploding right now." She quipped as she held the cup up, shaking a sugar packet furiously.

Lois pulled out a seat from behind a small, round table and sat down, looking up at Chloe expectantly. "So, I take it you don't accept my apology then?"

"Honestly Lois, I don't know what I was expecting. But everything you just told me was the same excuse you told me on the street. You did it out of jealousy. But ya know what Lois, that's the biz. People _are_ going to scoop you, albeit _not_ in the manner you did, and you _are_ going to get jealous that you didn't beat them to it. And believe me when I say that _no one_ is going to ask you for permission about a story—to make sure your feelings don't get hurt—like I did." She gulped down the contents of her cup, threw it into the trash and reached over into a large basket covered with a red checker board cloth. "If you want to be a real reporter, not to mention a real _adult_ you have to know that the way you reacted was childish, unacceptable and unethical and no respectable paper would hire someone who behaves that way. Furthermore, journalism is more than just your name in a byline for everyone to read. It's more than making a name for yourself and being famous. And if you don't realize that, then maybe you should go back to selling these." Chloe stuck her hand into the basket and pulled out a blueberry muffin for her to see before she ripped off a piece and tossed it into her mouth. "Now I need to know the extent of your involvement with Kahn's brilliant idea."

"Brillant idea?"

"Yeah. How suddenly I am the amazing Inquisitor reporter everyone is talking about. The one who just got hired by The Daily Planet— _Lois Lane_." Chloe answered, placing another piece of muffin in her mouth.

"_Oh_." Lois' eyes lit up and she leaned forward hesitantly. "Well, to be honest it was both our ideas in a way. See after out little street side blowout I went and talked to Kahn. Well, stormed into her office is more like it. I told her that the article in question was yours and I offered to print one of those retractable things."

"A retraction?"

"Yeah." Lois nodded, standing up and making her way towards Chloe. "I insisted that I had to make this right and she started getting really angry, going off about how much of a scandal it was going to be and how she could lose her job, especially since _her_ superior _really did _want her and The Planet to make a job offer to me. And as she proceeded to call me a few choice words and shuffle me out the door it came to me."

"What?"

"Well, I found myself blurting out that you could just use my name, and that you wouldn't mind because your hero is Nellie Blue..."

"_Bly_."

"Right. And that she is your hero and even _she_ went by an alias." Lois, looking rather pleased with herself paused to see Chloe's reaction before she continued. "This way you would get full credit for the story, she wouldn't have to hire me because technically _I _already worked there." She gave Chloe a wink. "And The Daily Planet would avoid a scandal and everything would go back to normal. Well, almost normal."

Chloe leaned up against the counter, chewing on her muffin. "That was some pretty quick thinking on your part, I'll admit to that at least."

"She seemed rather intrigued with the idea and the next thing I know she was on the phone with my editor talking about photographs or something." Lois said, pouring a cup of coffee. "When she hung up the phone she said it was done. I still have no idea how she convinced my editor to go along with it though." Lois shrugged her shoulders and took a sip.

"Never underestimate the power of blackmail." Chloe smirked.

Suddenly a head poked in through the doorway; a tall, elegant looking woman looking down at a clipboard spoke loudly. "I'm looking for a Miss Lois Lane?" She sniffed. "Mrs. Kahn sent me to get her for the press conference." She looked back and forth between the two girls. "Have either of you two seen her?"

Chloe and Lois both froze immediately and exchanged anxious looks. After a moment or two Lois coughed and gave Chloe a tiny shove on the arm. "Oh, _Lois_." She muttered under her breath.

Chloe's head snapped up. "Oh, yeah that's me, sorry." She cleared her throat and spoke louder. "I'm—I'm Lois Lane."

"Great." The lady replied, running her hand down the length of the sheet and making a mark with her pen. "We need to get you in makeup and do a little last minute prep before we go on air in forty-five minutes. Are you ready?"

Chloe looked back and forth between Lois and the woman, her hand trembling slightly sending crumbs from the empty muffin wrapper flying. "As ready as I'll ever be." She smiled.

The lady nodded curtly and spun on her heel. "Okay, if you'll just follow me." Chloe took a deep breath as the woman departed; taking a step forward she felt Lois' hand reach out and grab her shoulder.

"Are you okay then, with the whole pseudonym thing? I wish it could have been different, but I don't think I had any other options. I know what I did cheated you out of being known as Chloe Sullivan to the world."

"I've made my peace with that." Chloe replied, turning around to face her. "At least my story—the truth—is out there. That's all that matters in the end."

Lois looked downwards, making indentations into her cup with her fingernails. "I hope your press conference goes well. I'll be watching."

"Thanks."

Lois looked up and cocked her head to the side, her eyes softening and her mouth curling into a frown. "Chloe, I know what I did was the worst thing I could have ever done and I'm so sorry. I understand if you can't forgive me now, but I need to know, will you _ever_ be able to forgive me? Can we ever move past this?"

"Lois, I..." Chloe began. Suddenly the woman's head popped around the corner, once again interrupting them, her face cold and impatient.

"Miss _Lane_." She harped, tapping her foot. "We are on a schedule here. Unless you think because you're a big _star_ now you can make everyone wait. We have many things to do, so I suggest you come with me now."

"Sorry. Right behind you this time." Chloe smiled, turning to follow the woman as Lois cried out behind her.

"Chloe! You didn't answer me."

Chloe paused in the doorway, running her hand along the frame. "I don't know Lois—right now I just don't know." She watched as Lois' hopeful face fell and disappeared around the corner into the hallway.


	7. Chapter 7

As Clark turned the corner to approach The Daily Planet he found himself caught off guard by throngs of people crowded up and down the sidewalk weaving their way up to block off the main entrance and creating a gridlock. Suddenly Clark felt a smack to his shoulder as a man carrying an armful of video equipment brushed past him.

_"Move it Larry!"_ He yelled to the man beside him as they sprinted down the street. _"It starts in less then ten minutes." _

Stopping in his tracks, he looked around to see professional looking women with perky smiles and men with shellacked pompadours positioning themselves in front of news cameras, pinning in ear pieces and flipping through notes in their hands as others scurried about behind them, running wires along the ground leading back to a sea of news vans adorned with local television logos and satellite dishes parked alongside the curb. Moving slowly through the chaos he saw an array of microphones of every shape and size encircling the entranceway to the building, creating an impromptu looking stage area of which all the cameras were pointed at, directly underneath the glimmering bronze letters of The Daily Planet sign. There was a palpable buzz as a stately looking woman flanked by an older gentleman emerged from the revolving doors followed by a woman clutching a clipboard and speaking into a mouthpiece. There was another figure behind them but Clark's vision was obscured as several people rushed in front of him, clamoring to get to a good position, and he felt a slap on his back.

"Hey C.K!" An eager, squeaky voice called out. Clark turned around to see Jimmy Olsen standing behind him, his camera gripped firmly in his hands. "I see you made it here for the press conference, and just in time too. It looks like they're just about to start."

"Press conference? For what? Did they find the cure for _cancer_ or something?" Clark mused as he took in the zoo around him.

"You mean you don't know?" Jimmy asked incredulously, lifting his camera up to his eye and snapping a few takes of the area. "You don't have TV or radio or anything in Smallville? How about The Inquisitor?"

Clark rolled his eyes. "Of course we do, but I was out of town visiting a friend in Star City."

"They don't have TV or radio in Star City?"

"_Jimmy_."

"Sorry." Jimmy laughed, bringing the camera back down and fiddling with the lens. "This morning a huge story about Lex Luthor broke in The Inquisitor."

"It did? _In The Inquisitor_?"

"Yeah, a pretty damaging expose about Luthor Corp. It's all over the news; the whole _country_ is talking about it—except for Star City I guess." He joked. "And Kahn called a press conference about it. To announce the hiring of the reporter who wrote it— Lois Lane."

"Wait—_what_?"

"Didn't Chloe tell you all about this anyways?" Jimmy asked, giving Clark a knowing wink.

Clark's face scrunched up in confusion as he shook his head. "Lois wrote an expose about Lex? _Herself_?"

Before Jimmy could reply a man stepped up to the horde of microphones and a hush fell over the crowd as they turned riveted towards him. "I'd like to start out first by welcoming all the press who turned out today." He paused and gestured grandly in front of him. "My name is Joe Siegel, the owner of The Daily Planet, and I would like to introduce you to our Editor in Chief of over twenty years, Mrs. Pauline Kahn."

The stately looking woman Clark saw before approached the man, shaking his hand and smiling for a few photo ops before she spoke. "I'd like to thank Mr. Siegel for the introduction and reiterate his sentiments. I'm glad you are all able to join us here today for a truly momentous occasion." She pushed up her glasses and flashed a gracious smile. "This morning an earth shattering Luthor Corp expose was published in a _competing _paper. Now I'll leave my feelings about said paper to myself, as most of you here know very well what I think of it." She shot the crowd a pointed look and a chorus of hearty laughs erupted around her. "But, regardless of my feelings, I haven't gotten to where I am today—the top—without making a few savvy business decisions along the way and today is no exception."

"Jimmy, this is all some sort of joke? Or some bizarro universe I wondered into?" Clark whispered, leaning down over Jimmy's shoulder.

"Today I am here to announce our newest addition to The Daily Planet team, our newest star reporter— Lois Lane." Flashbulbs went off like crazy all around them as the crowd surged forward; Clark craned his neck to see over the crowd and Jimmy hopped up on his tip toes, holding his camera high above the crowd and snapping furiously.

"This is so cool isn't it C.K?" He shouted above the noise, a goofy grin on his face.

Kahn stepped back from the microphone, clapping politely for a moment before she reached out to shake another hand, the owner of it blocked from Clark's view.

"I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe Lois..." Clark stammered.

"Someone say my name?" A sharp voice interrupted and Clark turned to see Lois a few steps behind them. "Hey Smallville, what are you doing here?"

"Wait—what the?" Clark said, turning back and forth between the crowd and Lois. "No, what are _you _doing here? Lois, aren't you supposed to be? If you're not—who is?" Clark spun back around just as he saw a familiar face approach the podium, smiling at the crowd as her blonde hair ruffled in the breeze. "What the hell is going on here?"


	8. Chapter 8

"_Keep it together._" Chloe chanted over and over as she squinted from the blinding glare of flashbulbs going off, hundreds of pairs of eye burning into her. "_Remember, Kahn said to keep it brief. Get up there, thank The Planet, then get off. Don't answer any questions about the Luthor Corp expose_." She reminded herself of the prep session minutes before and what she was instructed to do. Kahn gave Chloe an encouraging nod as she stepped in front of the microphones, all the applause dying down as she began to speak. "I'd like Mrs. Kahn." She began, her voice echoing out through the now silent crowd. "For giving me the opportunity to work at such a prestigious and influential paper like The Daily Planet. It's always been my dream to work here and I am thrilled to have that dream come true." The crowd clapped politely and Chloe looked back to see Kahn give her a sly wink. Suddenly a voice shouted out and Chloe whipped back to see a woman waving her hand in a bid to get her attention.

" _Miss Lane__, how did you react when Kahn called you with the job offer?_"

"It was great; I was very excited for the opportunity." Chloe answered, maintaining her composure as butterflies swirled in her stomach, Kahn beaming at her in the back ground.

" _Miss Lane_" A man called out. "_Is there any animosity between The Inquisitor and The Daily Planet now that you've jumped ship?_"

"Not anymore than usual." Chloe blurted out; the reporters began to laugh and Chloe felt herself blush. "What I mean is that the split was amicable."

"_Tell us how you discovered Level 33.1!_" A man yelled urgently, jumping up above the crowd. Immediately more and more voices piped up around her, each one more demanding than the first, and Chloe looked back to Kahn for guidance as her instructions replayed in her head.

"_Do you have any response for the Luthor camp who is calling this all wholly untrue?_"

"_Is it true that Luthor Corp is aware of—and has used—alien technology?"_

A few scattered chuckles broke out after the last question and Chloe felt a pair of hands clamp down firmly on her shoulders, steering her away from the microphones. "Gentleman, ladies," Kahn announced. "I know that all of you have numerous questions regarding Miss Lane's story, and believe me when I say that _all_ of those questions will be answered." Kahn paused for effect and the crowd whipped into a frenzy. "In upcoming editions of The Daily Planet!" She yelled, waving her hands in the air. A unanimous groan erupted and more flashbulbs fired off as Kahn dragged Chloe back through the door of the building. "I swear, sometimes I think I'm getting too old for this." She whispered into Chloe's ear as they strolled side by side through the lobby, passersby's gawking at them. The owner of The Daily Planet, Mr. Siegel, popped through the door behind them, calling out cheerfully.

"Ladies!"

Kahn leaned into Chloe, placing a hand on her shoulder in an uncharacteristic display of affection. "Why don't you go home, get some rest and be in my office tomorrow morning ready to discuss some follow up articles, alright?"

Chloe nodded as Kahn stepped forward, shaking Mr. Siegel's hand in a congratulatory manner. "Genius move Kahn, leaving them wanting more. Our readership is going to go through the roof!" He added with a wink and reached out to shake Chloe's hand, dipping his head chivalrously. " Miss Lane, we have some boring business to attend to. Would you be so kind as to excuse us please?" Chloe nodded and smiled as he gestured for a group of distinguished older men to join him and Kahn as they headed off towards the elevators.

"Lane, you did great." Kahn called out right before the elevator doors slid shut behind her and Chloe blew out a long sigh of relief, thankful she had managed to survive the day and looking forward to going home and loosing herself in a hot bath. She started for the stairs leading to the basement and as her hand hit the railing she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey!"

Chloe instantly spun around to see a wall of red and blue on the step above her. " Clark!" She chirped, throwing her arms up around his neck as he bent down to meet her. "Welcome back. How was Star City? How is Oliver?"

"It was good, not as eventful as Metropolis though."

"When did you get home?"

Clark pulled away, running his hands down the length of her arms to her shoulders, pushing her back and looking her squarely in the eyes. "About an hour ago, just in time to witness the show—_Lois_." He looked back at her warily as she let out a nervous laugh and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him along with her as she climbed downwards.

"Ok, I can explain."

"As much as I _love _to see you squirm, don't bother." Clark said as they reached the basement lobby, lingering outside the office doors.

."What do you mean?"

"Well when I stumbled upon the scene outside and little Jimmy, I mean _Jimmy,_ started going on about how Lois wrote some big Luthor expose and was being hired by The Planet I was dumbfounded. I mean this is the girl who thinks stories about _barn doors _make for a good read." He whispered, rolling his eyes. "And then when I saw _you_ up there instead, I had no idea _what_ was going on. And, as if on cue, who should show up? The _other_ Lois. She told me how she broke into your computer, stole your story and had it printed in the Inquisitor and then struck some deal to have _you_ use her name to avoid a big scandal, and she then rambled on and on about Nellie Bly." He said, rolling his eyes again. "Unless she left something out, that's basically what I got. What I _don't_ get is why you didn't call me and let me know all this craziness was going on?"

Chloe smiled uncomfortably, reaching for the door handle and pulling it open. "Well I _wanted _to but I was just so busy and overwhelmed that I," The smiled faded from her face and she cocked her head. "I'm sorry. I should have called you—not that you ever answer you cell phone anyways—It's just been such a long, surreal day. But at least we can talk now."

"Don't apologize." Clark insisted, following behind her as they walked into the basement offices which were almost empty for the evening, leaving only a few stragglers quietly working at their desks. "I guess I'm just angry that I wasn't here when this was all happening—unable to help you somehow. Be a shoulder to lean on or push Lois off a cliff." He joked as Chloe spun around, giving him a swift whap to the shoulder. " I can't imagine how I would react if something like this happened to me. I'm impressed at how well you seem to be handling it. Oh, and speaking of apologizing, how are you two? Have you two..."

"Made up? Well, she went into this long speech and asked if I'd ever be able to forgive her. I told her I didn't know yet." Clark smiled shamelessly and Chloe spun around to give him another whap. "Don't try and hide your _disappointment_." The two laughed and as they approached her desk Chloe turned around to see a young intern hovering over it, the drawers open and its contents gone. Chloe's face fell and she ran over to the boy. "Excuse me, where's all my," Her eyes saw the name _Chloe Sullivan_ inscribed in the brass name plate clutched in his hand and stopped. "I mean, where's all Chloe's stuff?"

"Oh, I packed it up and sent it to Kahn's office per her request." The boy answered as he bent down to wipe the desk's surface with a lemon scented cleaner and toss a few stray paper clips in the trash. "I was told to get this area ready for a new hire." He stood back up and went to throw away the name plate when Chloe grabbed for it.

"I'll take that." She smiled, seizing it from his hand as he shot her a queer look. "She's a friend of mine. I know she'd like to have this."

"Suit yourself." He replied, tying the trash bag at his feet and slinging it over his shoulder. "Say, don't I know you?"

"No, no you don't" Chloe replied firmly, turning around and heading towards the door, Clark following suit. "Alright, let's go get my stuff back and find out where the heck I am supposed to work." She complained to Clark quietly.

"No, I _swear_ I know you!" The intern insisted, trailing behind them "Do you know Bob in the mailroom?"

"No, I don't. Sorry, we've never met."

"You just look soo familiar."

Chloe felt her impatience grow and reached for the door to the main hallway, when she heard another, different voice chime in.

"I was just thinking the same thing."


	9. Chapter 9

Chloe froze and turned around slowly, working feverishly to try and place the voice that was addressing her. Behind her stood a middle aged man in a rumpled suit, running his hand through his equally rumpled salt and pepper hair, and she immediately felt her stomach drop. It was Perry White.

"You look like someone I met once along time ago Miss Lane."

The intern whipped his head back and forth. "I knew I recognized you! I just saw you on the news!"

Chloe shot Clark an anxious glance over her shoulder as Perry brushed past the boy, slapping him congenially on the back. "Could you excuse us for a moment?" He asked and the boy nodded, stumbling as he backed away. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your _performance_ out there." Perry walked over to Chloe, spying the name plate in her hand. "Chloe Sullivan. That _name _rings a bell as well." His eyes twinkled mischievously. "Friend of yours?"

"Mr. White." Chloe stalled; even though she had doubted he would actually remember her after so many years and after such a brief meeting, she still couldn't believe she had forgotten that one of the top reporters at The Planet knew her and that it could be a problem. Jimmy and Kahn were nothing, but she had no idea how Perry would react. "I can explain." She blurted out, knowing she was caught.

Perry waved his hand dismissively. "Don't get all riled up _Sullivan_." He whispered. "I just wanted to see your reaction is all, have a little fun." Chloe felt her nerves begin to calm. "Kahn already filled me in on this little charade this afternoon."

"Wait, she did? Why?"

Perry perched himself on the corner of the desk and shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly? No clue. All she said is that I needed to know this kind of stuff for the future." He loosened his tie and shook his head. "She doesn't even know I had already met you years ago..."

"Kahn told me no one would even notice if I suddenly had a different name. I didn't forget that we met but, but I really didn't think you would even remember me." Chloe interrupted.

"... and that I had been following your career in The Planet all this time."

"I can't believe you remembered me. I'm flattered." Chloe stopped abruptly. "Wait, you follow my work?" She asked cautiously, trying not to get overwhelmed by the compliment.

"Well not the obits and stuff." Perry laughed. "But seeing as how you were one of the best damn cub reporters I've ever met—and that tends to make an impression on me—it seemed reasonable to keep an eye on you, especially when I heard you were working here." He stood up and outstretched his hand towards hers. "And I must say that the bylines you garnered were good, but nothing compared to your Luthor Corp expose. Congrats, you've just made it to the big leagues." Chloe shoved the name plate into her coat pocket and shook his hand eagerly. "Besides, I have a soft spot for those who aren't afraid to take on the Luthors. That's the first mark of a good reporter in my eyes."

Chloe beamed silently and Perry glanced upwards, seemingly becoming aware of Clark's presence for the first time. He looked him up and down before he stepped forward, wagging his finger. "I know you. You're that Kent boy. Kid from _flying tractor town_. How the hell are you doing?" He stuck out his hand towards him and Clark reached out to meet it, shaking it vigorously. "Still burying the lead?"

"Actually, I haven't had much time for journalism right now."

"That's a shame." Perry replied, placing his hands on his hips and staring at him disapprovingly. "You have promise and I hate to see that go to waste."

"Well, I mean I _have_ been considering re-enrolling in college, maybe transferring to Met U and taking a few journalism classes." Clark said hurriedly.

"You have?" Chloe said, surprised. "Since when? Why haven't you told me?"

Clark shrugged his shoulders and gave her a knowing smile. "I don't know. I've been thinking about it for a while. Besides, we can call it payback for you keeping me in the dark about all of this."

Chloe laughed and Perry cut in. "Well if you do ever get around to that, I want you to know my offer still stands, to put in a good word for you around here." He looked at Clark awaiting a response, to which Clark simply smiled, before speaking to Chloe again. "Anyways, the other reason I came down here was to tell you I intercepted your stuff, so if you'll follow me this way." He beckoned towards the door and the three of them filed out into the hallway and stepped into an open elevator. "Come on kiddies—going up." He hit a button and the doors slid shut, leaving them riding in silence. When it finally re-opened they all stepped out onto a floor full of large, well appointed mahogany desks flanked by wide windows and topped off by ornate, colorful crystal lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling. They both followed as Perry led the way down the aisle coming to a halt in front of an empty desk with a cardboard box atop it. "There's your stuff."

Chloe shot him a bemused look, knowing full well that her mouth was hanging wide open. He head was spinning, her heart thumping loudly, as something shiny glinted in the sun, catching her eye. Slowly approaching the desk she saw the name _Lois Lane _inscribed on a name plate for all to see. "Is this _my_ desk?" She asked breathlessly, almost afraid of the answer.

"Yep, it's yours." Perry smiled proudly. "I told you that you had made it to the big time."

Chloe shook her head in disbelief, placing the name plate down and lurching forward in one swift movement to throw herself up against Perry, her hands clamping tightly around his neck. "I, I don't know what to say." She murmured, holding back tears of joy. "Thank you. Tell Kahn I said thank you."

Perry stiffened up, his arms hanging at his sides, looking to Clark for help. Clark looked the other way to hide his amusement and Perry tentatively raised a hand to her back. "Um, you're welcome." He said, patting her uncomfortably. "And just so you know, _second_ mark of a good reporter—no hugging."

"Oh, of course." Chloe winced and pulled away. "I guess I let my emotions get the best of me. It won't happen again."

"Yeah, see that it doesn't." He agreed a little too quickly, obviously flustered. "Uh, well," He began, running his hand through his hair once more, searching for something to say. "I promised I'd let Kahn know how the big surprise went and everything." He began to walk back towards the exit when he turned and called over his shoulder to Clark. " Kent, don't forget about my offer." He jumped into an empty elevator and grinned wildly. "Just think, if you work hard enough, one day you could be working alongside the great reporter Lois Lane!"

"I bet you never thought you would ever hear the words _great reporter_ and _Lois Lane_ in the same sentence." Chloe whispered as the doors started to close after him.

"Well as long as it's referring to you." Clark whispered back, giving her a wink.

"Lois and Clark." Perry called out, holding the door open. "Think about it kiddo."

As soon as Perry disappeared from sight Chloe lost all her regained composure and cried out gleefully. "Look Clark, _Tiffany _lamps! Oh, and I have a _view_!" She squealed as she leapt over to the window like a child. Chloe placed her hands up against the glass and looked downwards, the busy city moving like tiny dots below them. "Come look!"

Clark ventured over and took a quick step back. "Woah, we're pretty high."

Chloe ignored him and continued gazing out, leaving a hot, steamy trail of breath of the glass. "I can't believe this. In one day my whole life has changed. I've finally achieved something I've been working so hard for, and in the weirdest way imaginable. Like some sort of bizarre dream."

Clark stared at Chloe's back and pulled out her chair, taking a seat. "Yeah, it's like I go away for a few days and everything has changed."

Chloe turned around. "Well, not _everything_. No one is more freaked out by today than me, but just because Lois did something incredibly stupid and now I have to go by a new name professionally doesn't change who I am."

"I know that." Clark looked hurt and slightly embarrassed. "I guess I didn't fully realize what all of this meant. You've made it to the big time. Perry said so. And you're _famous_ now."

"Are you worried that I am going to get some big ego now or something?"

"Bigger than it is now? No."

Chloe crossed her arms and laughed. "Thanks."

"What I mean is now that you're up here running with the big dogs you'll be busier than ever and won't have time..." Clark trailed off and Chloe came over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll _always_ have time for you." She said firmly, anticipating his worries. "Besides, next week another huge story will break and I'll be old news."

"You're probably right."

"Thanks again." Chloe feigned insult and removed her hand after a swift whap to his chest. "You were supposed to say _oh no, you are the greatest thing since sliced bread and the Pulitzer is so yours_!"

Clark smiled and looked up into her eyes. "Well, it probably will be—someday. After all you are the _great_ Lois Lane."

"And don't you forget it." She laughed, puffing out her chest and holding her head up high. "Someday you could be working alongside me!"

"Perhaps."

Chloe sat down on the edge of her desk, picking at the items stuffed into the box. "Oh really? You seemed rather indifferent to the idea actually."

"Well maybe the idea is growing on me."

Chloe reached deep down into the box and pulled out a bronze paper weight in the shape of The Daily Planet's globe and placed it on the desk. "And may I ask what is the reason for your sudden change of heart?"

"Don't think I'm crazy or anything." Clark insisted, leaning forward. "I like the way _Lois and Clark _sounds. Silly reason maybe, but it makes sense somehow. It just feels right."

Chloe smiled wistfully, thinking the exact same thing.


	10. Chapter 10

The sun was now a distant memory as night had fallen on downtown Metropolis; from Chloe's vantage point the city lights were mesmerizing and she kicked her feet up on her new desk triumphantly, cradling the her cell phone to her ear as she watched them twinkle. "Yeah dad, that _was_ me on TV today. No, I _know_ they called me Lois Lane, that wasn't a mistake." Chloe sighed and rubbed her eyes, exhausted from the long day and from trying to explain it all to her dad who had called her, confused. "It's a long story, one best told in person. I'll drop by your apartment later and we can talk."

"Ok honey, later tonight then."

"Bye, dad." Chloe hung up her phone, stood up and began to gather her things, more than ready to call it a night. Clark had zipped off home minutes before leaving her alone in the empty newsroom, her only company being the night janitor who was busy mopping.

"Goodnight Miss." The man said, looking up from his bucket and smiling as she walked carefully over the wet floor past him.

"Goodnight."

Walking past row after row of desks she noticed there were mounted flat-screen televisions on the walls, all switched off except for one at the head of the room, its flickering images playing in silence. _"Wow, Tiffany lamps and plasmas. I think I could get used to this._" The commercial onscreen ended, switching over to a woman news anchor. The graphic in the corner of the screen reading _Lex Luthor press _conference caught her eye and Chloe scrambled to find a way to turn up the volume, hitting several buttons before it came on full blast.

"And this afternoon, in response to the article about Level 33.1, the Luthor camp staged a press conference at their offices in downtown Metropolis. Coincidentally it took place minutes after the Daily Planet's press conference announcing their decision to hire the reporter who broke the story, Lois Lane, away from their rival paper The Inquisitor."

The program cut to footage of a slick-looking man, his face pinched into a snarl and framed by a mass of microphones. Directly to the right of him Lex was standing, dressed in a smart black suit and staring ahead, his eyes cold and emotionless. Directly next to Lex, submerged in his entourage and only half visible, was a woman with long, dark hair and a petite frame that she recognized instantly. Chloe frowned; disappointed that Lana would chose to support Lex and his nefarious deeds, although not completely surprised. "_We have no comment on that at this time."_ The man yelled above the frantic voices of reporters shouting questions. He raised his hands in front of him and shook his head in response to something inaudible. "_We fully intend to prove that Mr. Luthor is completely innocent of these charges."_ Cameras clicked away and the man's eyes flashed suddenly. "_No, Mr. Luthor does not have any comments regarding __Lois Lane__ or The Daily Planet." _

Quickly they cut back to the anchor. "Channel 5 Metropolis contacted Luthor Corp for comment on this story and they did not meet the deadline for reply, but we are committed to bringing you up to the minute news on this developing story as soon as they happen."

Chloe switched off the television and turned on her heel towards the exit, stepping into an open elevator and pressing the button for the ground floor. Leaning up against the wall the words "_We fully intend to prove that Mr. Luthor is completely innocent of these charges"_ played over in her head, sickening her at the thought that Lex could go free for his heinous crimes.

"_Not if I have anything to say about it._" She scoffed as the door opened and she walked out into the deserted lobby, past the night guards playing cards at the reception desk, and out through the main entrance. The streets were unusually quiet for a weeknight, leaving Chloe virtually alone as she walked towards the parking garage to retrieve her car. She usually had one of the night guards walk with her when she worked late or when Clark wasn't available, but this time opted to go it alone and instantly regretted the decision when she felt an eerie sense of being followed.

Stepping up her pace and glancing over her shoulder, she saw no one around but a pan handler loitering on the opposite corner and one of the local crazies the Daily Planet employees had nick named _"Loony Larry" _slumped up against a storefront across the street, sleeping. As she climbed the two levels to where her car was parked and fished in her purse for the key she heard the crunch of wheels against pavement behind her, followed by the unmistakable sound of a car window rolling down. Looking up from her purse she saw the long, lean silhouette of a black vehicle reflected in her driver's side window. Squinting a bit she made out the distinctive license plate.

LEX III

The back window, deeply tinted black, was open just enough to make an impression that someone was lurking behind it, out of sight. Curiosity getting the best of her she turned around and walked a few steps forward towards the car, waiting.

"E tu Chloe?" A menacing voice drawled.

"What do you want Lex?"

"I want answers. I want to know why I woke up this morning to find myself being vilified in The Inquisitor."

"Well, maybe being a _villain_ has something to do with it."

"... by your muffin peddling cousin." Lex finished, ignoring Chloe's comment. "At first I thought it was some kind of misguided attempt to disguise who was launching all of these ridiculous accusations at me, as if I wouldn't be able to figure out who really wrote the story, _Chloe_."

"My cousin's involvement in this was unintended to say the least." Chloe snapped. "I don't play games and I _don't_ need a patsy. I have no qualms calling you out on your illegal and immoral deeds all by myself. And the accusations aren't ridiculous. They're the _truth_."

"The _truth_, such a noble idea, yet so naive you are to think that in this world it's enough."

"I'm not afraid of you Lex." Chloe protested, her skin prickling at his callous laugh, trembling with anger at his misguided attempt to intimidate her with a late night, clandestine meeting.

"I wouldn't want you to be afraid of me." Lex continued after a long pause. "I have no intention of harming you. There are better ways to settle the score than messy violence."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I will do whatever it takes to exonerate myself. To prove that _Lois Lane _is nothing but a hack from a tabloid."

Chloe's fingernails cut into her flesh as she crossed her arms defensively "Well you can strong-arm and buy off everyone you can, but _I too _will do whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to make sure that your days of hurting innocent people are over."

"Well, I see we are both in agreement then." He replied, his voice slightly seductive. "I look forward to doing battle with you _Miss Lane_." The window began to roll up and the engine revved as the car moved forward, driving out of the garage and disappearing around the corner.

"As do I." Chloe retorted and hopped into her car, taking a few deep breaths to quell her raging emotions. After her nerves settled she backed up and sped out of the garage, turning down the street in the direction of her dad's apartment. As she stopped at a red light she glanced over to see a news paper box planted on the sidewalk directly across from her, _The Inquisitor_ stamped across the top in big, bold type. Putting her car into park she unhooked her seatbelt and leaped out of the car, running over to it. Realizing she had never even had the chance to read her entire story in print she popped in the fifty cents and pulled out the last remaining copy, an immense rush of accomplishment pulsing through her body.

"_Old editions of The Daily Planet..."_ Chloe heard herself days before, remembering her brilliant idea at finding piles of old, discarded editions. "_I was thinking I may get some of the really good ones framed or something._" That day she never would have considered framing a copy of The Inquisitor, but now as she read her words, she knew there was nothing else in the world she would want to do.

Finally she had realized that today wasn't really some strange dream, that she would wake up Chloe Sullivan, struggling Daily Planet intern stuck in the basement. She was entering a new chapter in her life, a chapter that was as blank as a fresh piece of paper, ready to be written with the story of her new life as star reporter, Lois Lane.

**This is the final chapter--well technically--there is an epilogue chapter coming up )**


	11. Chapter 11

Chloe drummed her fingernails on the counter, watching as the young boy behind it slipped her cash into the register and turned around to fill her order. Another man behind the counter handed Lois a giant, disc shaped Danish and she hungrily bit into it. In the last few months the two had begun the rocky road to starting over after Chloe realized she would be able to move past her betrayal, deciding not to let past events that were out of her control hold her back from having a relationship with her cousin, given that Lois was completely open and honest with her in the future. Since Chloe was busier than usual they had to squeeze in time to see each other and had decided to meet for a quick breakfast before Chloe headed off to work. "So, you said you had some big news?" Chloe asked as she grabbed her latte from the man and made her way through the busy coffee shop to find an empty table.

"Well, sort of, I guess." Lois smiled awkwardly and pulled out a chair from behind a table tucked in a quiet corner. "First though, what's up with the hair?"

"Thanks." Chloe rolled her eyes, dismissing Lois' critical stare. "Let's talk about your big news first."

"Well it's not really _big_ news per say. Well it _is_ news, but it's not that exciting. Actually, I really wanted to get a little feedback on something."

"Lois you're giving me a headache, spill it already."

"I got a job."

"That's great. Doing what?"

"Well you know the past few months haven't exactly been easy, what with almost losing you and then losing my job."

"Uh huh."

"Well, it gave me a lot of time to do some soul searching and I reached a conclusion." Lois paused and began to pick at her raspberry Danish, dissecting tiny pieces as she sat, thinking.

"Which was?" Chloe prompted, taking a sip of her latte.

"When I started my long, strange trip into journalism..."

"_Long?_"

"Okay, when I _hopped on the express train to journalism-ville._ Better?" Lois rambled off, sticking her tongue out.

"Much."

"I thought I only enjoyed it because of seeing my name in print and feeling important." Lois looked out the window into the street, frowning. "I'll admit that hardnosed, investigative reportage is definitely _not_ my thing." She continued and Chloe held back a giggle. "But writing, and the general atmosphere of the newsroom was really great and I realized how much I missed it when it was gone." Lois turned back towards Chloe, a shining look of triumph in her eyes. "So I got it back."

"Uh oh, what did you do?"

"I got a job at The Ledger." Lois said proudly, popping a piece of pastry into her mouth. "It's nothing great or anything, and the pay stinks, but it's something I'm much better suited for."

"What do you mean? Are you a secretary or something?"

"I'm the new gossip columnist!"

Chloe blinked in surprise. "Gossip columnist?"

"Yep, celebrity canoodling, who's getting fat and who's getting skinny, stuff like that. Right up my alley." Lois beamed. "The old columnist quit, and since the only requirements were to be able to read, write and be up on all the latest gossip, my boss thought I was perfect for it.

Chloe shook her head. "Gossip columnist, eh? Um, you do know that gossip rags get sued all the time for printing false, damaging stories. You can't just make stuff up."

"I know that. Trust me I've learned my lesson about ethics."

Chloe lifted her cup to her lips. "Well congratulations then. Hopefully this time around you _will _be ethical—as ethical as a gossip monger _can _be." Chloe teased. "Just think, two Lois Lanes writing for papers in one family." She winked and took a long sip.

"Yeah about _that_." Lois fidgeted in her seat. "See, part of the deal I made with Kahn, which I never told you about, was that she insisted if I ever took up journalism again I wouldn't use my real name, so as not to cause any confusion."

"Confusion? Surely people can tell the difference between two different writers that share the same name?"

"That's true. But by _confusion_ what she _really _meant was—_I am a lousy excuse for a journalist and unless I want to wear my ass for a hat I will never use the name __Lois Lane__ professionally again because my unethical and questionable actions would sully the reputation of another, respectable, __Lois Lane__." _Lois paused and took a breath. "Or something like that, I obviously edited out all the numerous profanities."

"Obviously."

"And since I have no doubt that Kahn would track me down and make me wear my—well, you know—for a hat..."

Chloe laughed. "I wouldn't put it past her."

Lois smiled warily. "I decided to use a pen name too. I came up with one and I just wanted to run it by you—Grant."

"That's it?"

"No, I'm not trying to be Cher or anything." Lois laughed. "It would be my last name. I figure since neither your or my mom had a boy to pass on their family name it would be a way to have it live on."

"That's actually kind of sweet." Chloe smiled, standing up and gathering her things. "Come on, let's talk while we walk or I'll be late for work." The pair headed towards the door and entered out onto the sidewalk, moving in the direction of The Planet. "So have you thought of a first name yet?"

"I was thinking something flashy and glamorous. Like_ Brittany, Brandi, Tiffany, Mandy or __CoCo_" She purred, waving her hands through the air.

Chloe snorted. "Ok are you listing possible pseudonyms here or members of the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders?"

"What's wrong with those names?" Lois asked defensively. "How about something exotic and original like Diamonique?"

Chloe burst out laughing as they crossed the street. "Someone's been watching too much Home Shopping Network!" Lois shot her another look and Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "Why don't you just use your middle name?"

"Catherine?"

"Yeah, it's simple."

"It's not flashy enough."

Chloe shook her head and the two walked in silence for the rest of the way downtown. Lois was deep in thought when they reached The Daily Planet building and Chloe stopped to get a paper from the box on the corner.

"I got it!" Lois yelled out. "How about I shorten _Catherine _to Cat!"

Chloe slipped her fifty cents in the slot and pulled out a thick copy. "Cat Grant?" She asked, mulling it over for a moment. "You know, that could actually work. You look like more of a _Cat Grant _that a _Lois Lane_ anyways." She winked.

"Oh I really like it." She grinned, pulling out her cell phone. "I'm going to call my editor and tell him right now!" Lois continued down the street, waving. "I'll call you later!"

Chloe waved goodbye and entered the lobby of The Daily Planet, looking down to see the front page story announcing that the long awaited Lex Luthor trial was scheduled to begin in mere weeks. "_It's about damn time_." She smirked, studying the accompanying photo of Lex leaving the courthouse, barely hiding his contempt for the hordes of reporters and paparazzi. As she made her way towards the elevators she could feel an odd buzz about the room and looked up to see the heads of those she passed snap towards her. "_Maybe I have something on my shoe?"_ She mused, looking down covertly. Glancing around she noticed people staring at, or directing a few stray winks or odd smiles at her. In the past five months since the Luthor Corp story broke she had experienced a sudden celebrity, one that comes with taking on one of the richest, most influential and powerful men in the country; a celebrity that continued to grow and mature due to a follow up series of articles concerning Lex and Level 33.1, thus making her a household name in Metropolis. But for all the spotlight she received, she was never shown any excessive attention by any of her colleagues at The Daily Planet. In the beginning, when the story was new, she had a few admirers, mostly one or two newbie interns, but the seasoned professionals who had seen it all didn't look at her twice, and she was now unnerved by the sudden interest she was sparking as she strolled through the lobby.

_"Maybe I have a kick me sign on my back?"_ Chloe thought, smiling politely as she passed the receptionist at the front desk who was whispering to another lady and eyeing Chloe. Suddenly she felt a strong burst of air hit her back and turned around to see Clark looming behind her, his brow furrowed in resignation.

"He hates me. I swear he does."

"And good morning to you too." Chloe laughed, taking a sip from her cup and hitting the elevator button. "Are you _still_ afraid of the big, bad professor?" Chloe quipped. Clark had started classes at Met U a month before and his constant paranoia that his journalism professor was out to get him had become a newfound source of amusement for her.

"_Cute._ No, seriously this guy has it in for me. Maybe this whole journalism thing was a bad idea."

" Clark relax, he's not out to get you." Chloe sighed as the elevator door dinged open and she stepped into the empty car, Clark following suit. "You think Professor Miles is bad, at least you didn't get stuck with Professor Gough like I did. He was the worst. Besides, they're only hard on the ones they think have the most potential. Trust me, I speak from experience."

"Ah, ever the _humble _one you are."

'No, I'm just being _honest_." Chloe replied. "And hey, I'm giving you a compliment here." The two smiled at each other as the elevator door slid open to reveal a group of people waiting, chatting animatedly. As the group caught sight of Chloe a hush fell over them and they exchanged sly looks as they filed into the car. The ride upwards was eerily silent and Chloe could hear whispers behind her, her anxiety over the situation growing. As the car stopped and a few passengers got off a man tapped her on the shoulder and winked, followed by a woman who mouthed the words _congratulations_ as she brushed past her.

'Ok, what the _hell _is going on?" Chloe whined as the doors opened on her floor and they exited out into the hallway. "Am I going crazy or something?"

"What do you mean?"

'The way everyone is looking at me, it's been like this since I walked in the building." She gestured with her hand, sending droplets of coffee to the floor. "People have been giving me odd looks, stopping to smile and point and..."

"Well you are famous."

"Oh come on Clark. No one here gives two hoots about _the famous __Lois Lane_. So why do they care now?" Chloe asked pleadingly, hoping Clark would make some sense out of it all. They turned the corner from the small entrance way into the office. Walking down through the aisle past rows of desks everyone seemed to stop what they were doing, craning their necks to get a good look at her.

"Okay, this has got to stop." She whined, flopping into her chair.

Clark shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe they are just appalled by your hair situation you've got going on there." He grinned wickedly and reached out to twirl a strand of blonde hair around his finger.

" Clark Kent _hair _police?" Chloe laughed, breaking free by shaking her head, her hair swooshing back and forth. "Ok, I know it looks bad. I've been so busy I haven't had time to _breathe_ let alone get to the hair salon." She ran her fingers self consciously up to her scalp, tracing along the thick strip of dark brown growth at her roots. "But I seriously doubt that's what's eliciting this strong of a reaction."

"There just shocked you're not a true blonde." He continued unabated.

"I guess my dark secret is out now—literally."

Clark smiled and a man rushed past them, thrusting a stack of papers into his hands. "Hey Chicago needs this faxed over asap!" He barked and hurried off. Clark looked dumbstruck and Chloe laughed.

"Ok, it's official. You've spent so much time at The Planet that people actually think you work here!"

They both began to laugh as Clark threw the papers down on Chloe's desk and a voice rang out suddenly. "Hey CK!" The pair looked over to see Jimmy Olsen approaching, grinning wildly and clutching a stack of photos. "Hey Lois." He added a wink and Chloe felt herself groan inwardly; Jimmy always added a little nod or look after he called her Lois, and no mater how much she asked him to stop he persisted. "So have you talked to Perry yet?"

Chloe eyed him suspiciously. "No, why would you ask that?"

"Um," Jimmy's face froze, his eyes darted about the room and his free hand began fiddling with the strap of his camera that hung from his neck. "Uh, well, I don't know. I would just have to say that maybe you should check your email, or something."

"Jimmy, what are you not telling me?"

"Um, well..." Jimmy hemmed and hawed.

"Forget it." Chloe sighed, booted up her computer and logged in, scrolling down through her crowded inbox, past message after message until she saw one from Perry White marked _urgent. _"Well I'll be damned, a message here from Mr. White." She said in mock surprise, shooting Jimmy a look out of the corner of her eye. She opened the email and read the words _"you—my office—now."_

"That's a rather cryptic message." Clark said, reading over her shoulder. "I wonder what that's all about?"

"Well, there's only one way she can find out CK, and that's to go talk to him right away!" Jimmy chirped, pulling on her sleeve. Chloe brushed his hand away brusquely and stood up.

"You _know_ what this is all about don't you?" She asked pointedly. Jimmy averted his eyes and suppressed a smile. "Does this have to do with the way everyone is acting today?"

"No comment. See Perry." Clark raised his eyebrows and Jimmy beamed, obviously enjoying holding the information over her head.

"Fine, you boys play nice and I'll be right back." Chloe began to walk away. "Oh and believe me Jimmy, you are so gonna pay for this later!" She cried over her shoulder. Chloe walked swiftly to the elevator, riding it up another few floors and hopping off, headed towards Perry's office. His assistant was nowhere in sight so she walked up to the closed office door and knocked. "Mr. White?" She called, twisting the knob slowly and stepping into the empty room. It had been quite some time since she had been in that office; the décor was decidedly different, the sour smell of smoke was gone, and on the wall hung one simple gold frame containing a front page clipping of The Daily Planet. The big, bold headline proclaimed _Kahn to retire; names Perry White Editor in Chief, _with a picture below of Perry shaking Kahn's hand flanked by several older men and the owner of The Planet, Mr. Siegel.

About three months after Chloe had settled into her new name, and her new role as the hottest reporter in Metropolis, The Planet experienced a shake-up of its own. After many instances of Kahn joking that she was _"getting too old for this"_ she finally acted on her own words and called a sudden press conference, announcing her plan to retire. It was an idea she had been thinking over for a few months, and that after heavy consideration involving the owner and several chairman of The Planet, they had decided that Perry White was best qualified to take over. It had been quite a shock to Perry, whom only a few years prior had been a ex-respected journalist working the tabloid beat and struggling to get back on track, to advance to the highest of rank in the paper, but Kahn said she saw herself in him and knew he had the spirit and the tenacity to tackle the job.

"Mr. White?" Chloe called again, turning around and poking her head out the door. There she saw Perry charging towards her, running a hand through his ruffled hair and waving a piece of paper in the air.

"Lois, I see you got my message. I hope I haven't kept you waiting. I had to go retrieve this fax; I've been running in circles since my assistant called in sick."

"Oh, no that's okay." Perry brushed past her and Chloe followed. "So, you're message was pretty vague. What's up?"

Perry plopped down in his chair, crossing his arms behind his head, leaning back and flashing her a smile. "I think you better sit down."

Chloe pulled up a chair from behind. "This doesn't by chance have anything to do with the way people have been acting around me this morning, does it?"

Perry simply smiled and nodded towards the door; a janitor had appeared, swiping the floor with a dust mop and pretending not to be eaves dropping. "Why don't you close the door and I'll tell you."

Fifteen minutes later Chloe emerged from the office, her face drained of all color, and Perry stood in the doorway, watching her go. "Are you sure you're going to be alright? Do you need help walking?" He called out, laughing heartily.

Chloe shook her head, unable to process any coherent thoughts, let alone any words. Her insides were twisting, a sensation like being on a rollercoaster, and she couldn't feel her feet touch the ground. When she returned to her office, still in a daze, she saw Jimmy looking over Clark's shoulder as he sat on the edge of her desk, flipping through a stack of photos.

"I was finally able to use my new high tech lens on those last shots there." Jimmy said proudly.

"Yeah, they're good." Clark nodded and glanced up, spying Chloe. "So, whats the big news?"

Chloe pulled out her chair and sat down, staring unblinkingly out the window. Clark reached over and shook her arm gently. "Are you okay? You're trembling."

"Yeah, you're white as a ghost!" Jimmy chirped.

Chloe rubbed her eyes hard, expecting to wake up and find that the last fifteen minutes had been a dream, but instead saw two concerned faces staring back at her. "I..." She began, her voice barely above a whisper, afraid that if she dared say the words out loud it would somehow make them untrue. "I..." She took a deep breath and felt a warm sensation creep over her, enveloping her body as reality finally set in. "I've been nominated for a Pulitzer prize for investigative reporting." Waiting a beat she looked up to see Clark's eyes bug out and a goofy grin spread across Jimmy's face.

"Wow." Clark sputtered. "Th—that's amazing! Congratulations!" He bent down and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a bear hug. "I knew it would happen someday!"

"Yeah, way to go." Jimmy chirped, seeming less than surprised.

"You _knew_ this all along didn't you? And you didn't tell me!" Chloe said, as she pulled back from Clark and threw a pencil at Jimmy. He ducked the flying object and looked downwards.

"Guilty as charged."

"So is this why everyone is acting odd?" Clark interjected. "Why that woman on the elevator congratulated you?"

"I guess so. " Chloe replied, resting her chin in her hand and gazing about the room dreamily. "Perry said he found out the other day and couldn't wait to let me be the first to know."

"Well, if that's the case then how did everyone else know before you?"

"Hmm, good point."

Jimmy coughed and tugged at his collar. "Well, I kinda saw this fax on Perry's desk last night while I was, um..."

Chloe raised her head and her mouth fell open. "Jimmy Olsen, were you _snooping_?"

"No! No. I went to go see Perry about an assignment, but he must have gone home for the night or something, and I saw a fax to him from the Pulitzer nomination committee and I saw your name and..."

"And?"

"Well maybe I got _too _excited and I told this intern friend of mine—cause I was dying to tell someone, and I couldn't tell you because you were out doing your investigative stuff, and I wanted to see the look on your face when you found out." Jimmy paused and pointed at Chloe. "Yeah just like that. And well you know what they say about telling friends? They tell two friends, and so on." Jimmy smiled sheepishly. "Before I know it, it was all over the building this morning and Perry went around telling anyone that if they spilled the beans they might as well pack up their desks. Please don't be mad cause I didn't tell you sooner."

"Don't worry Jimmy, I'm not mad." Chloe grinned as a scarlet flush crept over his cheeks. "I don't even care if I win, I just can't believe I'm even nominated for a Pulitzer!" She squealed with abandon, probably a bit too loud as the whole room came to a sudden halt, all eyes focused on her. Everyone's heads began spinning around, looking to each other to reassure themselves that they indeed had heard right. The next thing Chloe knew, her hardened, seen-it-all co-workers were giving her a round of applause, some letting out a few whoops and in the distance someone called out _"Youngest nominee in The Planet's history!" _and _"Take **that** Lex Luthor!"._

Chloe's eyes welled up with emotion and she felt a strong pair of hands on her shoulder as Clark whispered into her ear. "Congratulations—I guess some people _do_ give a hoot about the famous Lois Lane."

THE END! Thanks for reading ya'll!! Loves...


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